By Jeff Brink, May 14, 2024

Human flourishing and cultivating God’s resources began thousands of years ago and have evolved ever-increasingly since.  The Personal Computer, cell phone, and the Internet became mainstream in the 1990s, followed closely by major technological advancements. Today’s digital tools give us on-demand access to information of all types, representing nearly all available human knowledge with incredible access from nearly everywhere. In this digital age, we can instantly connect with, converse, and do business with anyone, anywhere at any time. All from a hand-held device – pretty amazing stuff!

For the Christ-follower, the trick is cutting through the sinfulness and noise coming from technology (such as social media) and instead harnessing these resources in God-honoring ways to grow in our faith, do good, flourish, and advance God’s kingdom.

One Internet application we can learn to use to better connect with and serve the needs of people we know is Linkedin.

LinkedIn has become the standard for professional connectivity, a powerful networking platform with over 1 billion users worldwide.  I strongly recommend you create a LinkedIn profile and immediately begin connecting with people in your church community, professional field, friend groups, and people you meet across all areas of life. Having your network of people you know on a single platform makes it easy to manage, reach out with opportunities, and support one another. You also have immediate access to everyone’s background, making it easier to netweave: thoughtfully weaving together the people you know for their benefit.

If you already use LinkedIn, consider the power at your fingertips for ministry and advancing the Great Commandment and Great Commission. Think about how you can use LinkedIn differently and your God-given gifts to help others flourish. Biblical flourishing is missional, priestly, outward-focused, and is a tool to spread God’s glory throughout the earth. We flourish when we help others flourish (Jer. 29:4-7). This biblical concept runs counter to the cultural view of flourishing, which is self-focused, inwardly fixated, and all about us.

Below are seven practical steps to improve your LinkedIn (LI) usage effectiveness as a Christian professional:

1. Ensure your LI profile accurately represents your professional story and captures your expertise. This will improve alignment with potential opportunities and helpful connections.
2. Connect with people both inside and outside your profession. Your network should include colleagues, family, friends, church family, and everyone you meet. Remember, it’s about you helping others. The larger your network, the larger your sphere of influence and opportunities to do good.
3. Regularly look for new connections via LinkedIn’s recommendations based on common connections and invite them to join your network. Then, seek opportunities to serve them.
4. Use the LinkedIn Messaging feature to initiate a direct dialog with any of your connections.
5. Only publish and re-post helpful and God-honoring content.
6. Be careful what you read and who you follow. The devil is actively utilizing social media platforms to separate us from God and push us toward sinful thoughts and desires. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”.

Like all social media platforms, LinkedIn offers the ability to “follow” certain people or organizations. Take inventory of who you follow, admire, and aspire to emulate. The Christian life is defined by who we follow.  Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27-30). Who are you following?

Does the content you ingest reflect the voice of God?  Does who you choose to follow reflect the heart of God?  Not just on Sundays but during the week and online.